How were the Crusades, and the crusaders, narrated, described, and romanticised by the various communities that experienced or remembered them? This Companion provides a critical overview of the diverse and multilingual literary output connected with crusading over the last millennium, from the first writings which sought to understand and report on what was happening, to contemporary medievalism, in which crusading is a potent image of holy war and jihad. The chapters show the enduring legacy of the crusaders' imagery, from the chansons de geste to Walter Scott, from Charlemagne to Orlando Bloom. Whilst the crusaders' hold on Jerusalem was relatively short-lived, the desire for Jerusalem has had a long afterlife in many cultural contexts and media.

'The quality and variety of the contributors’ scholarship make it an important resource for instructors and students (preferably graduate), both as a critical source and as an incitement to further study.'

Thomas H. Crofts Source: Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching

‘… significantly contributes to scholarship on crusading literature and its intersections with medieval studies. … I will … be ordering it for the library and recommending it to my students.’

Hülya Taflı Düzgün Source: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean